Sweden passes on Danish fighter competition

COPENHAGEN, Denmark, July 22 (UPI) -- Saab's Gripen fighter will not be part of the international competition for a $4.37 billion aircraft procurement contract from Denmark.

Responses for a Danish request for binding information of aircraft offerings, issued in April, were received on Monday but one for the Gripen was not among them.

"Let me first of all express our gratitude that you have invited the Gripen system as a potential candidate for the next new fighter system in Denmark,'' Ulf Hammarstrom, director general of the Swedish Defense and Export Security Agency said in a letter to the Danish Ministry of Defense. "I would also like to thank you for a good and open dialogue during the process.

"We have, however, after internal deliberations also including our industry, concluded that we choose not to answer your request for binding information."

The Swedish agency offered no additional explanation for its failure to pursue the contract.

Three fighters are in the running for the Danish procurement: the Eurofighter Typhoon, and the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet and F-35 Joint Strike Fighter from the United States.